Dock construction

Abstract

A boat dock construction in which most of the support assembly is left throughout the year in the lake. The support assembly includes a plurality of pairs of pivotable legs which can be pivoted into a vertical position where they can accept H-shaped stanchions. A platform or platform is placed over cross members on the stanchions to complete the assembly. In the late fall, the platform and stanchions are removed for storage while the remainder of the support assembly remains below the water line in the lake.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A dock comprising: a support assembly adapted to remain beneath the water line throughout the year, said support assembly including at least one rail section including a pair of elongated rail members, a plurality of pairs of legs located at spaced locations along the rail members, means for pivotally connecting the legs to the rail members so that they can be pivoted from a vertical position to a substantially horizontal position beneath the water line during times when the dock is not desired to be used, and means for anchoring the support assembly to the floor of a body of water;   a plurality of stanchions having a pair of lower posts and a cross member; and   connecting means for removably connecting each stanchion to a pair of vertically oriented legs whereby a platform can be placed on the cross members of adjacent stanchions when it is desired to use the dock, with the platform and stanchions being removed for storage and the legs pivoted back towards the rail members during winter or other times of nonuse.   
     
     
       2. The dock of claim 1 which further comprises: adjustment means for adjusting the height of the stanchions so that the cross members of the stanchions can be leveled.   
     
     
       3. The dock of claim 1 wherein the legs include a series of hole pairs located along the lengths thereof, wherein the posts of each stanchion are hollow and fit over a pair of legs, and wherein the stanchions are secured at adjustable heights by pins passing through selected hole pairs in the legs. 
     
     
       4. The dock of claim 3 which further comprises: brace means for bracing at least one stanchion in the vertical position.   
     
     
       5. The dock of claim 4 wherein said brace means comprises: a rod pivotally attached at one end to the cross beam of the rail section and to the stanchion at an opposite end thereof.   
     
     
       6. The dock of claim 5 wherein each stanchion cross member includes at least one vertically extending tab, and wherein fastener means passing through the tabs and into sides of the platform are employed to secure the platform to the stanchions. 
     
     
       7. A dock construction that can be easily installed and removed from a floor of a lake, said dock comprising: a support assembly adapted to remain beneath the water line throughout the year, said support assembly including a plurality of rail sections, each rail section including a pair of elongated rail members connected together by a transversely extending cross beam, means for pivotally connecting together ends of adjacent rail members together so that adjacent sections can bend to follow the contour of the floor of the lake, a plurality of pairs of legs located at longitudinally spaced locations on the rail members, pivot means for pivotally connecting the legs to the rail members so that the legs can be pivoted from a vertical position to a position lying substantially flush with the rail members during times when the dock is not in use, each leg having a series of hole pairs located along the length thereof, a bracing rod pivotally connected at one end to the cross beam, the bracing rod including a series of spaced hole pairs along the length thereof, anchor means for anchoring the support assembly to the floor of the lake;   a plurality of H-shaped stanchions having a pair of hollow lower posts with a hole pair therein, a cross member with an upwardly extending tab thereon and a pair of upper extension arms, the stanchions each including a bracket extending from lower portions of the cross member;   said legs being pivoted to the vertical position, each stanchion being removably connected to a pair of legs by slipping the hollow lower posts over the legs, fasteners passing through the holes in the stanchion posts and a selected hole pair in the legs, the leg hole pair being selected so that the cross members of the stanchions are substantially horizontal;   a wooden platform extending between adjacent stanchions and lying on the cross members thereof, fastener means passing through the tabs on the cross members into sides of the platform for securing same thereto, with the brace rod being pivoted at an angle relative to the cross rail and being attached to the bracket on the stanchions.   
     
     
       8. The dock of claim 7 wherein the legs are connected to the rail sections by U-shaped brackets surrounding the rail section and slideable thereon, and fastening means passing through the bracket and lower portion of said legs whereby the legs can be positioned at desired locations along the lengths of the rail members. 
     
     
       9. A method of installing, using, and removing a dock from the floor of a lake, said method comprising: anchoring a support assembly having a plurality of pivotable legs thereon to the floor of the lake;   pivoting the legs to a vertical position;   sliding lower posts of stanchions onto the legs on the support assembly;   vertically adjusting the degree of overlap between the stanchion posts and legs to level cross members of the stanchions;   lying a platform onto the cross members of adjacent stanchions;   walking on the platform during the summer season;   thereafter, lifting the platform from the stanchions, raising the stanchions upwardly from the legs, and pivoting the legs downwardly below the water line; and   storing the platform and sstanchions while leaving the support assembly in the water during the winter.   
     
     
       10. The method of claim 9 which further comprises: slideably connecting the legs to rail members so that the legs can be slid along the lengths thereof to a desired location.   
     
     
       11. The dock of claim 1 wherein said stanchions are generally H-shaped and include a pair of upper extension arms. 
     
     
       12. The dock of claim 1 wherein said elongated rail members are connected together by at least one cross beam. 
     
     
       13. The dock of claim 1 wherein said means for pivotally connecting the legs to the rail members comprise: U-shaped brackets surrounding the rail section and slideable thereon, and fastening means passing through the brackets and lower portion of said legs whereby the legs can be positioned at desired locations along the lengths of the rail members.   
     
     
       14. The method of claim 9 wherein said stanchions are generally H-shaped, including a pair of upper extension arms. 
     
     
       15. The method of claim 9 wherein said lower posts are hollow and they are slid over the legs of the support assembly.